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Lelith Hesperax
Lelith Hesperax is a Dark Eldar Succubus of the Wych Cult known as the Cult of Strife, and the undisputed champion of the gladiatoral arenas of Commorragh. She is by far the most deadly of her deadly kind, able to bring swift death with the slightest flick of her lithe limbs or flowing hair sewn with razor sharp barbs. She rarely speaks, although her voice has been compared to honeyed velvet. Most other Succubi look upon her in envy and awe. Rival Wych Cults whisper that her incredible skill is unnatural -- that she was modified by the Haemonculi, or that she sleeps in a baryonic sarcophagus filled to the brim with stimulant serum. The truth is far simpler -- she is a natural born killer. The most deadly of her kind, Lelith's skill in the arts of combat bear all the hallmarks of true genius. Lelith is deadly grace embodied, her movements hypnotic, sensual and spellbinding -- watching Lelith go about her blood-soaked business is a privilege that only the wealthiest Dark Eldar can afford. To see such a superbly talented Succubus perform first-hand is a dream come true for most Kabalites, for it energises and reinvigorates even the eldest of their kind. Though the purr of her voice has been likened to honeyed velvet, Lelith rarely speaks, for she is an artist, not a politician. Nonetheless, her pronouncements are always carried out to the letter by her handmaidens, the Wyches of the Cult of Strife, who look in jealous awe at their mistress' flawless form and supernatural physical dexterity. On the eve before a realspace raid, Lelith will often pad like a hunting cat into the halls of an Archon preparing for battle, flanked by dozens of her hand-picked Wych acolytes. Lady Hesperax blesses raiding Kabals with her presence in this manner only in order to search out unusual prey; she loves to match her abilities against the most formidable elites and champions of the other starfaring species in the galaxy. She has yet to return without blood upon her blades and a new clutch of grisly trophies for her private museums of pain. Alone amongst the Wych Cults, Lelith does not use combat drugs to enhance her performance. Lelith's disciples, the Cult of Strife, maintain that their mistress needs nothing more than a piece of edged steel to outclass her foes. Sure enough, although she is expert in the use of all the exotic weapons used by her deadly kind, Lelith can most often be seen in the arena fighting with two simple but exquisitely weighted daggers. The harpies of the rival Wych Cults whisper that Lelith's incredible skill comes from an unnatural source -- that she has somehow persuaded the Haemonculi to replace her blood with hyperadrenaline, that as a child she suckled upon a steroid-syringe, that she sleeps in a baryonic sarcophagus filled to the brim with stimulant serum. The truth is far simpler -- like all born predators, Lelith prefers to fight up close. The use of combat drugs is for the weak, for they corrupt the perception of the instant when the killing strike hits home and the dying's lifeblood flows forth. It is impossible to savour the delicate nuances of death when one's senses have been polluted by intoxicants. To forsake such chemical enhancement would usually mean death in the lightning-fast death matches of the Dark City's arenas, yet so great is Lelith's skill that her flesh remains flawless. In combat, Lelith uses her body as a weapon as well as her flashing blades. Her mane of silky hair is sewn through with barbs and hooks that she uses to snare the blades of her foes in much the same manner as the shardnets of the xenos Yraqnae. Her long legs and feet are edged with spurs, the better to tear open a throat with a perfect pirouette kick, and her fingernails have been reinforced and honed to the sharpness and surgical precision of a scalpel. Lelith can kill a dozen lesser warriors in the space of a few seconds, her blades tracing a path between each fatal slash, before finishing with a flourish and the attainment of perfect poise. Vid-captures of her doing so are traded throughout Commorragh and beyond by those with a twisted taste for violence. Perhaps, her spectators often say, it is not only mortals who gaze with such rapt attention as Lelith completes her deadly and beautiful dance of death. Wargear *'Wychsuit' - A flexible bodyglove utilised by the members of a Wych Cult, a Wychsuit is designed primarily to provide additional protection to one side of the wearer's body that is exposed more often to an opponent in battle, while the other side has sections cut away, revealing bare flesh, which allows the wearer additional freedom of movement. *'Wicked Blades' - Wych Cults utilise a variety of wicked blades which often includes an individually made, elegant dagger. These knives are kept sheathed until they are needed, so that its in-built sharpening field will ensure it stays eternally keen and lethal. *'Barbed Hair' - Lelith possesses a spectacular mane of hair, as long as she is tall. Woven into her hair are numerous small blades and hooks, and her athletic control of her own body is so total that the silken caress of her seemingly free-flowing mane can incapacitate an opponent in the same way a net used by a lesser Wych would. *'Sharpened Finger Talons' - Lelith's skill is so high that she needs no other weapon than the short edge of her sharpened nails to dispatch even the most formidably armored opponents, striking lightning-fast at vulnerable points with the tip of her fingers. *'Foot Spurs' - Another weapon demonstrating Lelith exceptional skill, she uses these small, spur-like blades against opponents who would otherwise have the advantage of reach against her. *'Shardnet' - A commonly used melee weapon of the Wych Cults, Shardnets are electrified nets that when entrapping its victim renders them unable to strike back. These nets can cut through flesh, muscle and bone. *'Impaler' - Used primarily by both the Dark Eldar Kabals and the Wych Cults, Impalers are large, wicked monomolecular melee weapons resembling a Punisher (a similarly large bladed weapon). This weapon is often utilised in conjunction with a Shardnet. *'Plasma Grenades' - These grenades explode into a ball of super-heated plasma, negating the effect of cover in close combat. Sources *''Codex: Dark Eldar'' (5th Edition), pp. 49, 82 *''Codex: Dark Eldar'' (3rd Edition), pg. 39 Gallery File:Lelith_Hesperax.jpg|A rare Imperial survivor witness sketch of Lelith Hesperax es:Lelith Hesperax Category:L Category:H Category:Characters Category:Dark Eldar Category:Dark Eldar Characters